Reviews:

Pyromania101: There a few breather moments this chapter, but next one will be a much-needed breather after everything. Harry will definitely get a chance to meet with more wizards very soon. And this chapter is entirely Harry and Guts' POV.

MorphCross: Thanks, I went back and fixed those mistakes, so they should be all good now. The plot will really pick up this chapter and will focus solely on Harry and Guts this time. I'm so glad that you enjoy the story so much.

JAKEkenstein: Harry is 14 almost 15. Guts and Casca and Griffith are 23~24, Farnese, Serpico, and Charlotte are 19, Schierke and Isidro are 13, Rickert is 16~17, Silat and Luca are 25~26 and Erica is 11. Just to give ages to the rest of the cast.

Necrogod: Not a problem. I hope you enjoy.

Celexs Draconia: Thank you, I had to plan that out since I knew I would have them back before the Elf-Island chapters. Thank you so much for reading.

Greer123: The war is coming, that is for sure.

kaxipoptos: Locus always struck me as deluding himself into being something he isn't like when he refers to War Demons as "them" like he is somehow better. Guts and co. are sure to shake things up once the battle comes to Hogwarts.

Loveless Demon: I was a bit confused, which scene were you referring to? The one with Charlotte and the King? While I did feel awkward writing it, there is a purpose behind it for her character and how she has grown, hopefully when it reaches a certain chapter it will make sense.

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J. K. Rowling and Berserk is owned by Kentaro Miura. I own nothing.

With permission, Lupin was allowed to leave the Sea Horse and travel back by the boat they had borrowed from Hogwarts Castle. Since he did hold the position of temporary professor, he would be the best choice of sending over to get things sorted out with Dumbledore and that one healer, Madam Pomfrey, Harry thought her name was. Harry had his fair share of things to be wary of with regards to the headmaster; leaving him at Privet Drive, acting like a loon upon first meeting, and believing that he was part of some prophecy being the main contributors.

But he did have the pensieve. And right now, that looked like it was their best bet of restoring Casca's mind.

Dumbledore had the pensieve, but would he be willing to lend it to them? He had extended Hogwarts' hospitality to them as an act of remorse for his previous behavior, but hospitality did have its limits. The headmaster knew that they had their own agenda when it came to healing Casca, and it wouldn't be too far out of the picture to assume that he had an agenda of his own, even if he believed it to be for the best of intentions. Having read that article, Harry knew how the people here viewed him, would the headmaster try and give them what they wanted?

If he did intend that, he was a fool. But from their meeting, Harry could detect a sharpness to the elderly wizard's eye. If he did have some sort of hidden agenda, he wouldn't be brash about it.

But like many other things, it would have to wait until everything with Casca had been handled. While Lupin had left to deal with Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey, Black had been granted permission to temporarily remain aboard to further the study he, Schierke, and Farnese were looking over, Guts brooding in the corner of the cabin, watching the scene with an anxious eye. Black had claimed to have read up on everything regarding the treatment in the books he had brought, but not willing to take any chances Harry and the two witches were double checking the material to make sure everything was as Black had described it. If anything was missed it was likely because Black looked to be exhausted when he had arrived. He really must have been putting time and effort into this.

"Is it everything I said it was?" Black asked once Schierke closed one of the books she had been going over.

"You were a bit vague when describing the method, but… yes, it does appear to be more or less the same from how you described the process to be." She rubbed at her eyes from behind her glasses, she had taken them out for the reading, not wanting to miss a thing from her far-sighted nature.

"I was still confused about one thing," Farnese spoke up, turning her attention away from the page she had been reading.

"Hit me," Black accepted the incoming question.

"What does it feel like to enter the pensieve?" Farnese then asked. "From what I've been able to gauge, it seems it was written with the assumption that the user knows how to use a pensieve already."

"Ah, easy question," Black said with confidence. "You'll remember seeing us when we were allowed to view Harry's memories, we were probably just all gathered around looking into its depths." Yeah, that was basically what they saw when that happened. "It's like watching everything play out but not having any control over your surroundings. But with what you're attempting to do, I imagine the feeling will be quite different."

"Different how?" Harry asked.

"Well for one, an enlargement charm will have to be put on the pensieve to make it large enough for her to submerge the back of her head. Madam Pomfrey will probably either give her an instant sleeping potion or put a sleeping spell on her so her mind is more at ease; besides, she can't be up and walking around when it's all happening. If she wakes up, that might revert any progress that was made. But since this is more akin to entering dreams than viewing memories, you may actually be able to interact with the mindscape, it might be the only way to heal her."

Schierke chewed over what Black had explained so far. "Then in theory, as long as Casca stays asleep while we enter her mind, we can freely help in healing her. But this will be taking place in the school's medical wing, right? You claim to know other ways of entering the castle. But if one of the students sees Harry they very well could end up disrupting the process."

Black offered a smile but it was lacking the full confidence of before. "Moony and I thought of that one too. It's one of the things he'll be talking to Madam Pomfrey about. Since Quidditch is out for this year that reduces the number of patients she'll have. And with the third task not in place yet, she won't be seeing any other patients." He paused. "Not unless a cauldron accident happens in potions class, the hospital wing will be clear. If there is an injury, she'll have to treat them in her office instead."

"And if they do find out, what then?" Guts demanded irritation present in his tone at the thought of what would happen if the process was to be interrupted.

Black was quick to respond by saying, "You're free to sit in at the hospital wing as well. There are tons of spare beds for you to sit and watch. I'm sure Poppy won't refuse."

"Hmm." Guts mulled that thought over; his brooding demeanor seemed to have lessened, if only for a brief second or two. "Alright. I'll keep the little bastards out if they somehow get wind of what's going on."

Harry didn't think that Guts would kill the students, but Casca was involved in this so that really tipped the odds in this case. It wouldn't be the first time. Thoughts of the Misty Valley came back to him. That had been a real dark time for Guts, even Harry too. Over time and with the rune drawn over the Brand of Sacrifice, nightmares had become easier to manage. But the sight of those children lying dead in heaps was unsettling as it came. But still, Guts had tried to keep Jill out of danger and even said that he was tired of seeing dead kids.

Black looked a bit uncomfortable as well. "I'm sure you're more than qualified. But Poppy knows how to sort out a student or two. But students should be the least of our worries."

"What? Is that greasy bat going to swoop in and cause a scene?" Guts asked making a fitting comparison in Harry's opinion.

"Snivelles? No. He'll keep to his dungeons and play with his chemistry sets. Even though he did try to purposefully antagonize you before I think he would rather keep away from Harry. But he wasn't who I was referring to. The other judges of the Triwizard Tournament are my main concern. I believe you already met Bagman."

"Stocky guy?" Guts recalled. "Yeah, he went away easily enough."

Black nodded. "Others won't, I'm afraid. There's this one judge and Hogwarts High Inquisitor, Dolores Umbridge. Think of her as the Minister's personal toady. She's a real stickler for the rules and if she gets wind that Harry is taking part in a tabooed healing ceremony on a non-magical woman…" Black visibly cringed. "She won't stop until she gets her way. Lucky for us with all that's been going on with Voldemort and Harry being back, she's been temporarily pulled to help out around the Ministry."

"…She must take magical secrecy very seriously then," Schierke said.

"Most everyone in Magical England is," Sirius agreed. "Only a select few muggles are permitted to know of magic and its existence, mainly the royal family, the prime minister, and any direct relatives of a witch or wizard. For anyone else, policy dictates that in order to uphold the secrecy, muggles are to have their memories erased."

"What?" Schierke asked her eyes wide with shock. "I-I can understand the need to keep things a secret, but the mind is a sacred and delicate thing."

"And… she would try to do this to us?" Farnese was the next to raise the question. "This woman would try to do that to Casca?"

Harry looked to Guts as he was sure to have something to say about this whole thing as well based on everything he had done to keep her safe in the past. But he didn't. Guts wasn't saying anything at all. Instead, he was quite silent, almost like a statue, but his eye was ablaze with all the unspoken emotion that needed to be mustered. It actually had Harry worried that the Berserker Armor would engulf Guts at any moment just based on the idea of someone erasing Casca's memories all over again.

"So keeping up the secrecy is especially important then. How exactly are you planning on sneaking all of us in the castle?" Harry reiterated the point. "Students are out on the shore all day trying to get our attention."

"Leave it to the Hogwarts rumor mill to be in full swing," Sirius shook his head. "But as excited as they are, skipping classes and all, they still have to abide by curfew or face the wrath of Snivelles, Filch, and McGonagall. And believe me, no student wants that."

"So at night then." Guts read between the lines of what Black was getting at. "Wouldn't that just make the chance of running into one of them even higher?"

"Not if you know the ins and out's like I do." Black gave himself a pat on the shoulder. "But I have a question for you now; does anyone like sweets?"

"The hell are you on about?" Guts demanded, expecting a straight answer.

"I'm talking about a secret passage," Black clarified soon after. "There's a few in and out of the castle. There's one on the seventh floor that leads to a cellar in the village, a shop called Honeydukes. Once Remus has made all the arrangements, I can sneak us in through there."

"You own the place or something?" Guts asked. "If you don't, I image the shopkeep will be happy to just let a bunch of strangers come barging in."

"He's an older man, sleeps in the room above the shop," Sirius explained. "Once he's asleep, I have a way of getting us in." he reached inside his robes to pull out a knife, placing in on the table. "It'll work on any lock that, even those charmed to be un-lockable. I'll finally be able to put it to use; I was ah, saving it to give to you, Harry, once you were old enough."

He had been planning on giving that to him? Well, Black was technically his godfather here and all. If things had been different and he had gone to Black over the Dursley's, he very well could have been the owner of that knife.

"Uh… thank you, Mr. Black," Harry said, not quite sure what to say. He settled with, "Good to see that it won't go to waste then."

Black gave a half-smile, but not one that fully reached his eyes. "It is the thought that counts, right?"

Guts snapped his fingers, gaining Black's attention. "Don't go getting sidetracked. What about this passage, where does it lead?"

"Ah, right." Black became more attentive. "On Hogwarts end, it'll come out of a statue of a one-eyed wench with a hump. Since it's on the seventh floor and the hospital wing is on the lower levels there is a risk of getting spotted, but another secret passage will take us exactly where we need to get to. Honestly, Hogwarts is riddled with them."

"And then what?" Harry asked.

"Then, if Remus has everything sorted out, you should be good to start the healing. Poppy will have everything all set up for you, so there's no need to worry about that." Black laid it out all very simple like the plan was already in motion, they just weren't aware of it yet. "In the meantime, while we're waiting to hear back from Remus, you're free to keep reading over some of the text here."

"Actually, I got another question for you." Guts' lone eye was trained right at Black. "Just what the hell are you expecting to get out of this, huh?"

Guts hadn't raised his voice, but I would take a deaf man not to hear the clear suspicion in which he had asked the question. Due to its nature; Black was careful in how he answered. "Even if I did want something, it doesn't mean that I would get it. Honestly, Moony asked me something similar not too long ago."

"It has to do with me, doesn't it?" Harry had a pretty good inkling of what Black's answer was going to be.

"No point in trying to lie about it," Black shrugged.

"No," Harry was quick to answer.

"Then yes, it is about you, Harry."

He didn't bother to let out a sigh. "Look, Mr. Black, if there's some price for being able to heal Casca then-,"

"-No, nothing like that," Black denied that notion. "At least, not from me. What I meant was, I just thought it would be a little better to get to know you is all, as cliché as that sounds and all."

"Serious?"

"Yes, I am. In both senses of the word, actually." If he had been going for a laugh, it didn't work.

"And does that have anything to do with you having known my dad?" Harry simply asked.

"Again, Moony asked me something similar not too long ago," Sirius recalled a prior conversation. "I… I do see James when I look at you, no doubt about it. But, as Moony helped to point out, you are not James, and I shouldn't treat you as such. Yet I'm still your godfather and it's more so for my benefit than for yours."

"…" Harry didn't respond all at once, he didn't really know what to say to that. Black had proven to be truthful and useful so far and he seemed to at least partly understand that fact that Harry has his reservations for a reason.

'Teacher,' Farnese mentally communicated, 'he does sound genuine. If for nothing else, you could at least ask him about your family. If you so choose.'

Funny, Schierke thought I might be curious not too long ago.

As expected, Harry heard the mental voice of the other witch. 'And you did make your position secure. I just said I would be curious is all.'

Black fiddled with something in his satchel as Harry listened to the mental conversation going on. Guts saw Black reaching in for something and was ready to take a step forward but paused as he saw what the wizard was holding.

"Here," Black offered it to Harry. "I came across this while gathering these books together. I figured you had as much a right to look it over as anyone."

Eyeing it, Harry took the book from Black. Unlike the older and more worn out texts regarding the mind arts, this book appeared fairly new, the leather not being faded in the slightest, it was almost as good as new. On the front cover were the initials J.P and L.E.P.

Opening the book up to the first page, Harry was greeted with a moving picture, not too different from the ones he had glimpsed when meeting at the Headmaster's office. But unlike those paintings, this picture seemed unable to talk or interact like the one that had spoken to Farnese; rather, it was more like it was on a loop. The image of the young couple smiling and holding hands as they hugged by a fountain.

The man in the picture made Harry think he was looking in a mirror. He had the same messy dark-hair, a wiry but lithe frame and even a pair of glasses. The glasses helped draw attention to his eyes that were hazel in color. And that was where the woman shined.

Her hair was red like fire and had an unmistakable pair of green eyes.

He knew who they were right away. He became vaguely aware of Schierke and Farnese both looking over his shoulder to see as well. Guts remained stagnant in the corner of the cabin.

"This is them, isn't it?" he knew.

"Taken soon after they graduated from Hogwarts. They married soon after, made me best man at the wedding, I ended up losing a bet and had to get a tattoo in a rather discreet location, but that's not the point. It's a book filled with pictures James and Lily had taken from over the years."

Harry flipped through a few more pages seeing his parents standing with another couple.

"Frank and Alice Longbottom," Sirius said. "Alice is your godmother but…" the bittersweet look black had worn was replaced by something else. "Both she and Frank are in a situation similar to Casca."

Harry took a moment to study the face of Alice Longbottom. Her hair and eyes were dark but with a pale complexion befitting many people from England. A situation like Casca's.

He turned a few more pages, each with more pictures of his parents. One looked to be their wedding day with his father standing with three other men. Two he easily identified as Black and Lupin, but the third man he did not know; he had a bit of a rat-like face to him though but still smiled along with the rest of them.

After a certain point, the pictures ended leaving just blank white pages ahead. Harry closed the book. "Mr. Black… this is… nice and everything, but…" he made a move to hand it back to the wizard.

Black raised his hands in refusal. "I understand if it seems like too much. I just figured that your parents would have wanted you to have it is all." Black ran a thumb over the facial hair he had growing. "I'm also not about to sit here and pretend like this is going to completely change your mind about this place. The friendship your father and I had, that was something. He took me in when I left my own family and I would have followed him over anyone else. That's probably what you feel toward the others here as well. Those last pages are blank because there was never a chance to fill them out." He pushed the book back to Harry. "Stay or leave, that's up to you. Just… remember that you'll still have this piece of the past with you."

The engraved initials seemed to shine almost as Black gave it back to Harry. He shot a quick glance at Black before hesitantly accepting the book back. As an act of curiosity, he opened to the first page again, the moving picture of his parents smiled and laughed as they enjoyed themselves on the happiness of that moment. They really looked young, maybe around nineteen or so like Farnese and Serpico. They would have been right around the age of Guts and Casca when he first met them as well.

A piece of the past, as Black had said it. His past had gone from a small cupboard to a medieval world filled with monsters and magic; this picture… it was like a window to a world of what could have been, not his past for sure. A window that seemed to stare back at him like it what he was thinking. The picture of his mother continued to move and laugh, but her eyes did dart from his father back to the frame.

'You really do look like them.' Schierke observed as well.

He put the book away in his own satchel.

With Permission, Black was allowed to stay the night aboard the Sea Horse as they waited for Lupin to return with word of what was to happen regarding the pensieve. He was still not allowed his wand back and Guts had seen fit to confiscate that magic knife off of him as well. Even if he hadn't, Guts doubted that Black would try anything. The man's entire motivations revolved around Harry and doing anything to try and build a relation, that book being the first start.

It was harmless enough and his motives were pure in concept and even execution so far, but Guts knew the extents people would be willing to go for just one person. He had been doing that since the Tower of Conviction.

And if his experiences were anything to go by, it showed that people would truly go through insane things for just one person.

He was currently on the deck of the Sea Horse finding the side rail he so often leaned on and directing his gaze out to the dimming lights from the village at the opposite shore. The lights were dim even though they were only lit about an hour or so ago. Guts figured that with magic they would be able to keep candles burning as long as they wanted, but he guessed not.

With his thumb, Guts rubbed at the corner of his eye, blinking a few times to let it adjust. Huh. The flames looked… brighter, less dull. He squinted just to be sure, choosing to focus on just one light. The golden light danced and flickered and the more he stared at it, the less vibrant it became.

What was it Skull Knight had said; that he would lose his senses and eventually his sense of self. This was probably nothing more than a side effect from last he used the armor back in Vritannis. Schierke helping to ease the burden seemed to have only gone so far.

How many more uses would he be able to get out of the armor before the evil presence of the Beast of Darkness completely took over? Skull Knight had a habit of showing up when he was needed and right now Guts actually wanted to hear at least some sort of cryptic message from the bone head.

"Not too cold out here are you, Chief?" Roderick approached where he was at ease.

"Ocean air would be colder," Guts answered.

"Ah, you're a man of the sea then?"

"Spent a night at a sea-side cottage," Guts recalled that night. It was the night that boy had first appeared. "This is my first time on a ship like this."

"That surprises me. From what I've gathered, you seem like a man of the impossible. Things like ships should be no stranger to you."

"For what it's worth, the ride was smooth up until a few days ago."

"No argument there, Chief. But even so, I imagine you must be feeling some sense of relief." Guts fixed him with a look. "Not for you, for her, Casca." Oh, that was what he meant. "She is your woman, right?"

"She wouldn't see it that way."

"Strong willed then?" an understatement. "You're a lucky man. Woman are so often doting about, worrying what skirt to wear, a bit of change is welcome every now and again. Farnese for example, she has her studies to be a witch."

"Isn't that going to tarnish the family name of yours?" Guts asked, never having really talked to the captain all that much, he could only judge Roderick based on merit.

Roderick shrugged. "Perhaps. But a deal is a deal, my ship in exchange for marriage. Not even mine or Magnifico's parents can really put an end to a profitable agreement. But on that topic, any idea how long before we're able to return? I ask on behalf of my men; I agreed to this journey, but they serve their post without question."

"We wait until we hear back from the other one, Lupin. That's the best lead we have so far." How long does it take to talk a few things out in that castle?

"Good to hear." Roderick pulled a bottle of rum from his uniform pocket. "In that case, to the fast and safe recovery of Casca." Roderick took a swig of the liquor and made a face. "Hnn! You'd think a captain would be less of a lightweight." He offered the bottle to Guts.

He squinted at the bottle, eyeing where Roderick had put his lips to it. He made sure to drink from the opposite end. The feeling of the liquor added a small touch of warmness to his body. He handed the bottle back to Roderick, it had served its purpose, the taste he could also do without.

"Well," Roderick looked out over the lake, "it would seem that you're about to get an answer."

Moving across the water at a moderate pace was the lantern of a rowboat, a lone occupant seated inside. Lupin had at last returned.

A rope ladder was tossed over for him and the shabby looking wizard climbed aboard once again.

"Well?" Guts demanded as soon as the wizard had both feet on deck. "What'd they say?"

Lupin seemed to have been anticipating being asked so soon. "Dumbledore has agreed to lend you use of the pensieve for the treatment. Madam Pomfrey was agreeable as well. She'll be waiting for us this time tomorrow night. Any student with a medical emergency will be treated in her own office so that the hospital wing will remain closed for however long it may be."

It was undeniable good news. It was finally going to happen, after all this waiting, the blood and labor that it had been exerted were at last paying off. It had already been decided that Schierke, Harry, and Farnese would be the ones to participate in the process. Considering this was a magic treatment, it only made sense to have those knowledgeable in the art to conduct it.

But there was just one thing that kept Guts from fully being able to revel in a breath of relief at hearing this news.

"So what did he want?"

"Pardon?" Lupin asked in return.

"The headmaster. What did he want in return?" even if the old man was trying to be hospitable, people were still greedy and selfish by nature. "You were up there almost all day, you must have asked him what he wanted out of all of this. If you didn't, it would make me wonder how you got a job as a teacher."

A bit of humiliation crossed Lupin's gaze, but he remained steady. "No, I did indeed ask him."

"And?" Guts was growing a bit impatient. Nothing happened until he heard what it was.

"He only requested to discuss it at a later time after the process is done and over with. What it is he wishes to discuss, he didn't say." Guts did not miss the hesitation in which Lupin answered. He was probably nervous about what would happen if he answered in a way that didn't fit.

"Your friend had a request to; he wasn't afraid to share it with a few others. His, as it turned out, were pretty harmless. Can the same be said for your headmaster?" whatever it was, it probably had something to do with Harry, pretty much everything here did.

"While Dumbledore does have his secretive side to him, he can be trusted to handle situations with the care that they require. And even if he comes across as being a bit shady, he is still responsible for trying to uphold stability." Lupin answered as best he could. "He also knows that the opposite would occur if something bad were to happen during this treatment."

"At least he has that sense about him," Guts acknowledged. He maintained his stonewall expression like second nature. It was close now.

Harry knew that a big day lay ahead. Not too long ago, Lupin had returned with news that they were good to go with their mission inside of Hogwarts. While the three of them who would be undertaking the mission would probably need to be well rested, Harry was a bit too ripe with anticipation to get any real sleep.

He lay awake in his cabin cot, running his finger along the wooden wall to feel every ripple and crevice as something to distract his mind, try to put it at ease. It was strange to think that by this time tomorrow they would finally begin to make substantial progress in the journey they had started so long ago.

For a moment he considered trying to use thought transference to ask how everyone else was doing, or for those who would answer. Guts he knew to be awake; not because their cabins were adjacent, but because any anticipation Harry was feeling, was sure to be ten times greater from Guts.

Thinking of it, it had almost been three years since the Eclipse happened, roughly the same amount of time he had spent with them previous to that dreaded day. There was no changing the past, no spell that could reverse time to alter what had been done and the damage that was left behind.

No. none of that.

But there was a way to help move forward. If this worked, if they really were able to heal Casca from the pain that had been done then it would be a victory for all of them. A small spite to the God Hand Femto to show that not even in his divine power was ultimate.

Harry rolled on his cot, finding a more comfortable side to his pillow. He didn't want to even think about the God Hand right now. Thinking about them wouldn't help, not him, and certainly not Casca.

All that mattered now was doing what had to be done. A chance to make right the wrong that had been unjustly done to her. He and Guts both had been unable to do anything to stop what went on during the Eclipse, and he had been an idiot for thinking that his twelve-year-old self would have been of any actual use during that madness. It had all been up to Griffith, the only choice Harry had made was to go rushing in to make sure the ones he cared for were safe. Things would have played out exactly as they had even if he had just stayed a distance away with Charlotte and that other girl, they might have had two additional members now if he had done that.

Pulling the covers up to his neck, Harry tried his best to just clear his mind, ease away the anxiety and any sense of doubt, he didn't need any of that right now. The time for pondering was done, this time tomorrow things would be different, they were going to get better.

He pulled the covers tighter. It was cold.

A light overcast of rain lasted for much of the early morning before it turned into a downpour around midday. By the time the afternoon had rolled around, the rain had retreated into nothing more than a light drizzle with a bit of fog rolling in.

Some of the sea folk saw the weather as a bad omen, but if the bad weather was enough to keep some of those village residents inside their houses and off the streets, Guts didn't care if it was a bad omen or not.

He had been eagerly keeping track of the time based on the sky above and how much of the sun's light he could see coming down through the clouds.

"All set and ready to go, Chief?" Roderick asked as two life boats were lowered down into the lake below. Based on the number of people they had going, two boats was deemed an appropriate number.

There was him, Casca, Harry, Schierke, Farnese, Serpico, the bugs, Isidro, and the two wizards, Black and Lupin. Roderick had offered to captain one of the boats to the shore to see them off. Isidro was coming out of the fact that he was bored of being cooped up on the ship and he didn't want to spar anymore with Sir Azan.

"Are you quite sure, lad?" the Moustache Knight asked. "I know a variety of techniques that were passed down through the generations."

"No offense or anything, but your training kind of stinks," Isidro told the hedge knight. "A few more rounds and you'll be beggin' for my mercy." He hopped into one of the boats. "We going yet or what?"

Roderick handed him an ore. "Patience now. We can't go lighting the lanterns at the end, that'd make it too easy to spot us. With this fog, we're going to have to take it slow through the water."

"There is a landing on the village shore," Lupin called from the boat he shared with Black. "First-years take the trip to the castle by boat. If we dock there, it's all about making it into Honeydukes unnoticed."

"Don't try pocketing any sweets there, Dro." Puck advised as he made himself comfortable on the human's head.

"What makes you think I would?" Isidro asked, seemingly insulted.

"Serious?" Ivalera asked, full of dejectedness.

"Come along, Casca." Farnese helped the other woman climb down into the boat, making sure she didn't miss a step on the rope ladder and fall into the lake water. The idea that a giant squid was somewhere in these waters wasn't exactly a comforting idea even though Roderick had insisted that they were just curious creatures.

"She sure does trust you," Roderick smiled at his betrothed.

"Yes, well, my reliability may be coming to an end soon enough," Farnese tried to sound optimistic.

"With her perhaps, but with your studies in witchcraft, I can imagine the possibilities being rather endless." Farnese bit at the inside of her mouth. "But even after, I imagine she'll find it nice to have another girl to talk to." Roderick looked to Guts. "Strong willed women tend to stick close to each other, as the saying goes."

Just what saying Roderick was referring to, Guts had no idea, he might hear about it later.

Serpico was the last to board and with the wizard's boat setting off at a slow and steady pace, it allowed for the second to follow after, using the trailing of water as a guide toward the opposite shore.

With the light drizzle and low fog, it made Guts feel like they were entering some kind of another world. They had already done that, of course, but in another sense. He was actually somewhat thankful that the candle light from the village provided another way of guidance, it would do better than just relying on the sole trail of parted water they were going with at the moment.

"Alright, the shore is just up ahead," the voice of Black called from the boat ahead. Through the mist, the sight of a pier came into focus. Roderick threw a rope to the other boat and Black magically tied the two to the steady landing.

"Take my hand now," Farnese assisted Casca past the gap of boat and pier. The water was shallow over here, but it didn't hurt to be careful.

"Best of luck to you, Chief," Roderick called from the boat.

"Do you not mean to join us, Captain?" Serpico asked their host.

"As enchanting as I'm sure it would be, I still have duties as a captain to maintain. I'll row myself back, as a man of the sea, it does well to keep up with common skills as the like." He gave a parting nod of his head, a gesture of good faith to them.

Based on looks alone, the village was actually pretty simple. There was what appeared to be a tavern where the sounds of laughing could be heard, a few houses lined up next to each other, some more shops. It actually reminded Guts a bit of Enoch Village, just a more downscaled version. But what made it different from Enoch was a strange stone building that looked to have a strange road next to it. This "road" had pieces of wood underneath long pieces of steel. Any ordinary wheel would not fit that mold.

"It looks like the road is clear," Black hazarded a glance down the main street of this sleepy little village. "The lights are all out too, the owner must be asleep or over at the Three Broomsticks." Black pointed the shop out to them.

It looked to have the living quarters built on top with the main shop being on the bottom. From what Guts could see through the window, a lot of strange assortment of what could pass as food were all lined up.

"Now's our chance then. Quickly." Black hurriedly made his way past the side of the building where they had been waiting. He was already using that knife of his on the lock before the rest of them got over there. With a silent push, the door opened for them.

Once they were all in, Black closed the door and locked it again to avoid the suspicion of a break-in. "To the cellar now." Little attention was paid to Isidro eyeing some of the assortments with a thirst to his shifty eyes, but he was still pulled along as they descended a short flight of stairs to the small cellar.

The two wizards pried a stone piece free from the floor. "Lumos." A small but bright ball of light appeared at the end of his wand. "I'm first, I take it."

Guts was the second one down, not willing to let their guide get too far ahead, and even if it was an unlikely possibility at this point, he would be the first if this was some sort of ambush. Farnese made sure that she and Casca were stationed in the center with Serpico taking up the rear. The tunnel was large enough for them to all fit, but more than once, Guts had to duck his head to avoid the low ceiling. Dragonslayer kept hitting the side wall every two seconds it felt like.

"How much further?" Guts asked, ducking his head yet again as he felt the space become a bit tighter and lower. Black had said previously that they would be exiting on one of the higher floors of the castle, but all they had been doing was traveling in a straight forward line.

"Not long at all now," Black called back. "This sure does bring back memories."

"We were almost caught one time," Lupin offhandedly commented.

"Almost being the key word there," Black cheekily replied.

"Faaa waaa," Casca mumbled.

"Are you sure the halls will be empty when we get there?" Harry asked the question.

"At this time, of course." Black confidently answered. "As rambunctious as some of the students can be, professors like McGonagall will keep them in line even after curfew."

"That didn't seem to stop you when you attended," Serpico remarked.

Black didn't bother to deny that. "No. but then again, we had a map of the castle. Every nook and cranny, every room, we had it all. And it also helped that Harry's father had a family cloak that really helped us move around unnoticed. No one can beat us when it comes to navigating Hogwarts."

"I don't know, Padfoot," Lupin sounded hesitant. "The Weasley twins might be taking that title soon. That and head of Hogwarts pranks."

"Should we know what they're talking about?" Isidro whispered to Puck. To that, the blue elf just shrugged.

Black lowered his wand as they neared a dead end. "We're here." He gave a light push after muttering what sounded like a password and the wall opened up. Black poked his head out. "Alright, it's clear."

Guts stepped out after him seeing that the wall they exited came out of the statue of a one-eyed wretch with a hump. With Serpico the last to exit, they pushed the statue back in place and Black took the lead once again of leading to the second hidden passage that would take them down to where the hospital wing was located.

This one was located behind a large tapestry where a secret alcove had been tucked away, a spiral staircase led downward. Unlike the previous one where all they had done was travel in a straight line and magically end up on an upper floor, he felt the actual descent with this one. They exited through a fake wall this time and followed Black as he made a right then a left down a set of corridors.

They, at last, came to a large set of double doors with a smaller door adjacent to it. Black gave a knock on the larger set and waited until the elderly witch from before opened them up. "Ah, yes, you're right on time. Please, come in, come in."

Inside the hospital wing, a series of beds were arranged around the ward in a U formation. Each bed was lined up in front of a large window to allow for light to enter on sunny days, but the drapes were closed on account of the weather outside. One bed stood on in particular; lined up near the back wall, the bed had a series of curtains around it which could be closed for privacy settings. Where the pillow would have been, the pensieve had been laid down, the cool, mystic looking liquid swirled around as it had before. No doubt that this is where they would be healing Casca.

"Everything is all set up," Pomfrey said as she ushered them all inside and shut the door. "Headmaster Dumbledore has granted pensieve usage and made the announcement at dinner that the hospital wing would be closed and that any injury will be treated in my office instead."

"Oooh haaa," Casca stared around at the large setting they were in.

"How long will this take?" Guts asked as Farnese led Casca over to the bed that had been set aside for her. If the old man had made an announcement like that, people might get suspicious.

"That is entirely dependant on how severe the damage is," Pomfrey quickly responded. "I take it you have already worked out who will be performing the procedure?"

"Yes. The three of us will." Schierke referred to the three magic users among them. "But if I may ask, what will you be doing in the meantime?"

"I'll administer a quick sleeping potion to her once she is all situated," Pomfrey began. "Once she's under and the three of you use the pensieve, it is important that the process not be disrupted. I will monitor her status and make sure she is asleep for the entire process."

They had discussed this over before back on the ship. Guts was comfortable with the three mages they had performing the act but he would remain here as well just to keep an eye on this Pomfrey witch. Black had given his continued word that she was bound by a healer oath to assist with any and all injuries to both magical and not. Serpico and Isidro would be present as well; Serpico due to his service to Farnese, and Isidro out of a need of a thrill.

"Thank you for agreeing to this, Poppy," Lupin said to the healer.

"Not at all, Remus. Now, I recommend you go and get some shut eye yourself. You and Sirius both look like you've missed more than a few hours of sleep."

Lupin gave a small, dry chuckle. "You're right. I still have classes to teach – for those who bother showing up, that is."

"I left your potion in your office, by the way. You will be good until next month." Lupin gave a thankful nod before exiting. "Now then, we are clear to proceed if you are ready."

Guts directed his attention back over to Casca who was still close to Farnese. That timid, childish nature still about her as she took in the settings around her. "Hooo. Ahh." She made some indistinguishable sounds, maybe for the last time.

"You three ready?" Guts asked.

"Yeah, we're ready." He was glad to hear no hesitation in his voice.

Guts gave the healer witch a look. "Alright, they're good."

She nodded in understanding. "Over here then. Yes, let's get her to lay down." Farnese and Harry helped Casca into the bed, making sure she was on her back and her head just above the pensieve.

"Minn." Casca craned her neck to try and see the swirling pool of liquid mist that was just behind her head.

"Casca, over here," Farnese gained her attention and putting her head back in a straight line.

Madam Pomfrey came over with a small vial of clear liquid with a hint of blue added to it. "This is the sleeping potion," she explained when she noticed Guts eyeing it. "Completely harmless, I assure you." She uncorked it and brought it over to Casca.

She sniffed at the contents before Madam Pomfrey brought the vial to Casca's lips, helping her to drink the potion. "Oooh. Guuu." Casca's eyes grew heavy and her breathing slowed. Farnese helped ease the back of her head into the swirling depths of the pensieve.

"How long will she be asleep?" Harry asked.

"The dose I gave her, about twelve or thirteen hours," Madam Pomfrey answered. "When that time expires, I suspect she will begin to stir. Although I suspect time will move differently for you when traversing her dreamscape. A few minutes out here could be hours in a dream."

"That makes sense," Schierke affirmed. "I've had dreams that felt like they lasted days."

Isidro, who had been testing out one of the beds, began to get impatient. "Hey, if you're working on a time limit, shouldn't you get to it already?"

Huh? Guts would have never suspected the brat to be one to hurry things along by voice of reason.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "We should probably work while we have the chance." He Schierke and Farnese assembled at the head of the bed, enough of the magically enlarged pensieve remained for them to stare into the depths.

They leaned in closer, staring into the swirling mass of vapor-like liquid. None of them were blinking; it was like they were completely transfixed by the hidden depths to do much of anything. They were completely still, almost like statues.

Harry felt like a rope had just been attached to behind his naval and all of a sudden yanked him down, creating a sensation of falling. It was pulling him down, down, down… and then it stopped. It stopped like nothing had ever happened at all. The only thing that lingered was the sensation that there was some kind of cord attached to his body, ready to pull him back up should anything happen.

Geeze, was this what Casca had felt? And she wasn't even looking into it; the back of her head was actually submerged. Then again, she was asleep, she probably didn't feel that falling sensation like he and the girls had.

Wait.

Where were they?

"Schiekre! Farnese!" Harry yelled out, his voice seemed to have a bit of an echo to it like he was yelling into the mouth of a cave.

"Harry!" it was Schierke. "I'm here."

Slowly, the form of Schierke began to materialize behind him. She looked how she would in real life, same purple robes and wide-brim hat and staff. The key difference being was that her form seemed considerably lighter like a ring of light was surrounding her. He probably looked the same in some regard too. He felt his sword in its scabbard at his side and his staff was hanging from his back. It seemed they entered how they were in the real world.

Movement felt weird. It was sluggish, slower than it would be in real life. He wondered, if they had brought items from the real world, would touch still feel the same. He put a hand on Schierke's shoulder, surprised to feel that it had weight to it.

"Huh? Yes?" Schierke looked at him with inquisition.

"Nothing just wanted to see is all." She looked a bit insulted by that. "If we're here, then where's Farnese?"

They were more or less surrounded by darkness at the moment, but surroundings were beginning to take shape. The terrain was starting to sprout small blades of grass, a meandering line of what was becoming a small stream, and sprouting trees further along. There was little sound to be heard from the flowing stream, an alteration of reality perhaps as a result of entering the mind.

But there was a shape that was visible as well. One that was distinctly human. Crouching by the curve of the stream was Farnese. "Teachers!" she exclaimed upon seeing the two of them. Like Schierke, Farnese appeared the same as she was in the physical world. She had everything from her dagger and pouch and semi-aristocratic clothing.

"Looks like we're all together now," Harry stated, watching as the landscape began to spread out, stretching for vast miles, the stream continues to grow as well. "This isn't how I imagined Casca's mind to look like." It seemed too real in a way like it was all based on what she has seen previously to some capacity.

"The stream does seem to be leading somewhere," Schierke watched as the water continued to flow, expanding upon itself and continuing to spread.

"Do you think that perhaps… it is acting as a path?" Farnese suggested.

"It very well could be," Harry agreed. Looking around, there didn't appear to be any other roads or paths that were constructed mentally for them, just the stream. Not wasting time, the three of them followed along on the twisting, meandering banks, traveling deeper into Casca's mind.

Even though Guts had insisted that he stay close while the healing was taking place, he could certainly do without the older witch making a fuss. What made it frustrating was that she was making a fuss over him.

Not long after the three had entered the pensieve, she insisted that he take a seat on one of the beds as well. "They are fine at the moment," she told him. "What worries me are the clear injuries you have sustained."

The scars, bruises, and burns had faded to some degree but were still very much noticeable.

"So make sure that they stay fine," Guts advised the witch. "I have the bugs to help with injuries."

That offended Ivalera. "You know, we're more than just your dust dispensers."

"Be that as it may, I have supplies on hand that will help speed it along." She sounded insistent.

"Save your breath already," Guts advised. "They'll heal on their own. It's far from the worst to be done."

She either didn't hear him or simply chose not to. Madam Pomfrey was already rifling through a cabinet to pull out a small jar of green looking paste. "Just let me-," she reached a hand out to touch him. It was a hand that Guts quickly smacked away.

"Don't touch me. Just leave it, will ya?"

He saw Black lean over to Serpico and Isidro. "I don't think any student has ever gotten Poppy this worked up."

Isidro seemed to take that as praise. "Yeah well, Guts is just like that, ya know?"

"Hm." Serpico gave a half nod.

Madam Pomfrey picked up the far from where it had fallen. "This is just mermaid salve. It has a cooling feeling when applied, nothing dangerous of any sort."

It had less to do if it was dangerous, but more the fact that she had just tried to touch him so suddenly. "Mermaids?" Puck inquired. "Oh! You mean like merrows?"

"You know of them?" Serpico asked.

"Of course I do!" Puck proudly confirmed. "They visit the shores of my home island on occasion. Real nice folks, very open and talkative."

Coming from something like Puck, Guts could only imagine.

"Your elf is quite knowledgeable." Madam Pomfrey said.

"Actually, he's more like my human," Puck corrected.

"Yes… well… I believe Sirius here can attest to its properties." She turned her attention to the wizard. "Remember after one of James' Quidditch matches? Poor boy had cuts and bruises all over his legs when he fell to catch the snitch."

"Ah, I remember," Sirius recalled. "And for the record, James never fell. He was just… knocked off balance from a well-timed bludger from the Slytherin team."

Guts eyed the jar in Madam Pomfrey's hands. "… Just set it on the bed, I'll put it on myself."

Madam Pomfrey looked offended but complied in the end. "As you wish." She roughly set it down. "Make sure to spread it evenly and careful not to scratch at any of it for at least half an hour."

Unscrewing the lid, Guts scooped some of the greenish salve and started applying it to the various cuts and burns he had acquired since Vritannis. After putting it on, it really did feel like he had just jumped into cold water, not icy, just cool. Madam Pomfrey came back and took the jar from him.

"You're a stubborn man," Black told him. "Poppy isn't used to people refusing treatment."

"I'm not the one who needs the healing." Guts spared a brief glance at the now curtained bed.

"Maybe not, but a little help can go a long way." Black leaned against the side wall, a few beds away from Guts.

"What are you getting at?" Guts asked.

"Nothing, just saying is all," Black denied any connotation. "But I can see where Harry gets some of it, at least."

"Some of what, exactly?"

"Some of his influence," Black said. "When I see him, I see how he looks like his father, he even has some of his confidence, but… there's something else to him too. I suppose that will happen when he's been traveling with others for as long as he has. He would just sort of… fill that role with someone else."

"Jeeze, I'm not his dad, and he isn't my kid." Guts, for a second, thought of that boy they had encountered just before making it to Vritannis. "He just grew into his own person, I was just doing what I always did."

Guts didn't really want to talk about it anymore. He could understand why Black would bring it up, he perhaps felt a bit robbed as his duty as godfather or something. He wasn't exactly cut out to be a father figure to begin with. Gambino he had idolized as a child, but once the horrifying reality of who that man truly was, that admiration quickly turned to disdain. He had never known his birth mother or even his father for that matter. If that man was alive as some noble, or dead in a gutter as some drunkard, he didn't really care, it was never important. The only other male figures that had treated him with a sense of respect was a three-hundred-year-old demon warrior and they both wanted to kill the other, a Skull Knight, and Godo.

If anything, Harry was better off taking after from Casca. She at least had a family at one point and did her best to welcome new recruits, even gaining the affectionate title of "big sis" from most of them.

There was a knock on the hospital wing door.

All eyes turned to look at it. With a confused expression, Madam Pomfrey made her way over. "Whoever… at this hour no less." She sounded less than happy. She opened the door just a pinch for Guts to see two heads of flame-red hair. "Mr. and Mr. Weasley, whatever is the meaning of this?"

"It's George. He's been throwing up something fierce. It's throwing our whole finishing each other's sentences out of whack. He kept saying that he didn't want to come here, but it just got too bad. I think he should spend the night, maybe you have something that'll help."

Guts couldn't really see who was talking, but he heard well enough. Before he could get up to go handle it, Black was already at the door.

"Ah, Fred and George Weasley! Or is it, Forge and Gred?"

"Sirius?" one of them asked.

"Oh come on, boys, you can do better than that. George, you wouldn't happen to be vomiting from one of those candies you and your brother invented, would you?"

"I don't – uck! What do you mean?"

"You know, the nosebleed nuggets, puking pastels, and all that you've been working on. Great stuff, by the way, it makes me wish I had thought of it back in the day. But you seem to be using it for something other than getting out of class. What's that you got there? That piece of parchment?"

"What does the parchment have to do with this, Sirius?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

Sirius gave a clever smile. "Never thought I would be seeing this again. Filch nicked it my last year, how fortunate that you two found it." Guts saw Black slip the parchment into his robes. "You boys are good, but you still have a ways to go before you outclass the original rule-breaker. Now, I recommend that George take the other end of the candy before he throws up his insides."

There was a silence before the two red-heads, possibly twins, gave a laugh. "Shame, I really thought we had that one in the bag, Forge."

"As did I, Gred. It would seem we've been bamboozled."

"Beaten at our own game."

"Oh, well."

"Persistence is key after all."

They were already on their way before Madam Pomfrey closed the door.

"What the hell was that about?" Guts asked as Black came back with the same piece of parchment. Black seemed a mix of nostalgic and concerned.

With his wand, Black touched the parchment and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." With that, blots of ink began appearing over the paper, forming a map. Tiny dots appeared on it as well, some moving around, some staying quite still. "Leave it to those two to have gotten a hold of this."

"What is it?" Isidro asked as he scrambled to see what it was.

"A map my friends and I made. A complete map of Hogwarts. It shows every known room and passage and even where everyone is."

"Mr. Black, by everyone, do you mean…?"

"Yes, all of us too." Black folded the map up. "Those boys are good, they come from a nice family. But the word is probably going to be out by the morning."

"You see it too, right?" Harry wasn't even sure if the question could be left as rhetorical or not. This was the mindscape and after following the stream, they, at last, came upon their first real sighting of something outside of just scenery.

There, sitting and drinking the water from the stream was a black hound. It was beaten and worn, feral-looking and it was missing its left paw and right eye. Harry knew instantly who it was that this represented.

The hound wore a spiked collar around its neck and a rope was attached connecting to a dark casket of sorts. There were marks in the ground showing where the hound had been dragging it.

"Is that suppose to be…" Farnese stared at the hound as well.

Schierke studied it as well. "I believe so. This is how she perceives him. Or rather, how one aspect perceives him."

The hound stopped drinking, turning its scarred head to look over at them. It snarled. Its jowls curled upward, barring its teeth at them, a clear warning that it did not want to be bothered and would attack if necessary.

"What do we do?" Farnese asked.

"Just back up slowly for now," Harry decided. Knowing how protective and short-tempered Guts was in real life, he didn't know what this representation would act like if provoked.

The hound still snarled at them, eyeing them as they took a few steps back. "Guuu." A small, meek sound called out. It was barely auditable, but the hound heard it clear enough. It sniffed at the casket and laid down on its haunches.

"That sound… it sounded like…"

The hound barked at them, not in a threatening way, but more in a way like a dog would bark to get a humans attention. Now the hound was sitting at attention next to the casket, waiting patiently, never taking its sole eye off of the three of them.

"I guess that means it's okay to approach." Harry took the first step, watching the hound watch him as he slowly made his approach. Up close, Harry was able to see just how battered the hound truly was. While it was muscular, its ribs were clearly visible through its hide. Its muzzle was all scratched and marred and its tail looked stiff like it hadn't wagged in some time. Whatever was in the casket, the hound had been killing itself to try and protect it.

Harry put one hand on the casket, eyeing the hound from the corner of his eye, testing the water of the hound's tolerance. Whatever had spoken before had clearly eased the hound to some limit.

Schierke and Farnese gathered around as the lid was opened. There, lying in incomplete assembly was a porcelain-like life-sized doll of Casca.

Her eyes were closed, and her mouth slightly agape. Some pieces were missing from her head, stomach, neck, and breast. Even here, the Brand of Sacrifice was still engraved into the dolls features.

The brand.

The piece that the brand was engraved popped up slightly like a trapdoor in the floor opening up. What came out of it was a smaller doll figure, this one resembling Casca how she looked now with her dark hair grown out and those brown rags she wore.

"Teachers…" Farnese leaned closer to see. "What is it?"

The small doll hopped along on the torso of the porcelain one, cautious and curious of them at the same time. It turned its tiny head to look at each of them in turn.

"This… this has to be the manifestation of Casca as she is now. The child-like state." Schierke assumed.

The small doll raised one of its arms out, seemingly to try and touch them. When Harry reached to touch it back, the hound barked, this time as a warning. The sound frightened the doll and she took refuge back in the trapdoor below the Brand of Sacrifice. It was only a few moments later before she poked her head out again like she was playing a game of hide-and-seek.

"She is easily scared, but…" Schierke observed the larger doll in which the small one resided. "But this larger doll seems to have progress made to it before." Of course, Flora had helped with that. "It looks like some of the lighter pieces are the newer ones." Those were the ones around the head and neck area. Maybe Flora had been trying to get Casca's speech and memories back first.

"Some are larger than others." Harry observed that was mainly the stomach and chest.

"So… we have to put this doll back together again? That will restore Casca?" Farnese asked. Almost in affirmation, the hound barked.

"Fee!" the small doll had emerged once again and was lightly jumping to try and reach Farnese.

"Oh! Uh…" Farnese regarded the hound for a moment before she lowered her hand and the doll jumped into her palm.

"It seems she recognizes you as a caretaker," Harry recalled all the times Casca had clung to Farnese in the past during their travels.

"If you say so," Farnese carefully cradled the doll in her hand, careful not to let it fall. Using one of its tiny arms, the doll pointed away from the stream and the hound began to walk, dragging the coffin with it.

The signal was clear enough, follow the hound.

Following after, the landscape began to change. The barren dust filled plain began to slope upward until it formed a hill. The bleak, desolate atmosphere became darker, but filled with the twinkling of hundreds of small lights.

"What are these? Stars?" Farnese looked down from the hill at the sight.

"No," Harry responded. Somehow… this seemed familiar to him.

"Why'd you do it?"

"What, Farnese?" Schierke asked.

"Teacher, I did not say anything."

"Then who-?"

"-I know that voice," Harry said.

The scene became clearer. They were standing on top of a small hill, overlooking not stars, but flames. A man sat down in front of what they were able to see; his muscular torso was exposed and bandages and gauze were wrapped around fresh wounds he had sustained. He rested a large sword on his shoulder and his other hand hung at his side as he stood up.

"Why'd you stay behind to fight?" the voice of Casca spoke, but there was nobody for them to see. They were seeing this through her perspective.

"That is what Casca sounds like?" Farnese appeared surprised to hear Casca's voice for the first time in the form of a memory.

The younger, still complete Guts answered. "You know, there's nothing for you to worry yourself over. I only did that for my own sake. I'd rather fight with my sword than run away. It's in my nature."

"I know this night," Harry recalled. This was just after Guts had killed a hundred men. "I'm actually down there somewhere." He pointed to the assortment of lights, but he knew he would never be able to tell where exactly he was.

The memory of Guts continued. "Looking at them from here, it's like I can see each of their desires flickering in the light."

"A bonfire of dreams then," Casca's voice sounded.

Guts turned to look at her with both his eyes. "Nice comparison, something a princess would say."

"As if!" Casca's voice sounded like she had to suppress a laugh. "But you're right. They each shine when gathered like that."

The scene seemed to garner a serene, bubbly texture to it before the memory of Guts vanished from sight. But in place of the swordsman, a broken piece of porcelain remained.

Harry cupped the piece in his hand, feeling that it was indeed an object that could be interacted with. "Eee! Eee!" the small doll saw him with the piece and began to jump up and down in Farnese's palm. Even the hound pointed his scarred muzzle at the doll.

"Uh, alright. Here you go." Harry handed the piece to the doll and Farnese lowered her down once Schierke had opened the coffin. The doll wasted no time in placing the shard in the stomach area of the full Casca figure.

The hound waited until the small doll situated itself before it continued on trekking through the now desolate plane of the mind. So that was what they had to do. There were going to be memories, experiences that Casca had had from over the years and they would have to assemble her back piece by piece.

With the hound still leading the way, the scenery once again began to change into more a dry, grassy field. A carriage of sorts was stopped by the side of the road, the lord that it belongs to was out, pinning a young girl beneath him as he tore at the front of her clothing. Fear clouded the girl's dark eyes as tears began to well up. at least, that was what was assumed as the image got blurry. She couldn't have been more than twelve.

This was Casca as a child.

The noble stared down at her with lust in his eyes, but his expression widened as a sword lopped his ear off.

There, seated atop a white horse was a teenage boy maybe a year older than the young Casca. His white hair seemed to shine in the setting sun. instead of finishing the noble off, he tossed the sword down to Casca, letting her make the choice herself.

Seeing his position compromised, the noble lunged for the sword, but Casca was closer. She didn't seem to know what she was doing, she just raised the sword in front of her and then – droplets of red hit her face.

The noble that had been going for her had ran straight into the sword's edge, impaling himself and coughing up his last breath of life before he fell down, dead.

So this was it, this was how Casca had became… Casca, the Casca that Harry knew at least. She couldn't have been much older than him when he met them all for the first time; it was no wonder why she was always looking after the other Hawks. To Casca, Griffith was her literal knight-in-shining-armor. At least, he had been.

"Did you… did you know about this?" Schierke asked him, disgusted by what she had just seen.

"No," Harry answered truthfully. "I knew she joined because of Griffith, but… I didn't know why." He put a comforting hand on her shoulder as the memory figures faded and another piece materialized.

Farnese was the one to pick up this piece. Presenting it to the little doll, they opened the casket again and watched as she put it in place near the top of the head.

This happened with every memory they stopped by. They collected pieces for the legs, hands, and torso, too. Some memories seemed to have greater significance than others depending on the size of the pieces. There were memories from Doldrey, the dance she shared with Guts at the victory ball, even some of with Harry too.

One, he was able to identify right away. "So this is what she heard that day."

It was the time Harry had learned that he could talk to snakes for the first time that day back at Windham. From Casca's perspective, she watched as the snake let out a series of hisses from its mouth only to see the younger version of Harry release a series of hisses very much the same to what had come before, just like the snake.

"Teacher, that is your younger self," Farnese looked between the memory and the Harry there with her now. "She was startled by what you did."

It was true, the focus got much farther spaced as Casca had jumped from her seat on the bench to watch him at a distance.

"Yeah. This was the first time realizing that there was something different about me. I was freaked out afterward about it, too."

"What were you even talking to the snake about?" Schierke asked.

"Oh, it was something about how he thought children were the worst, especially human children." Funny how he actually remembered that.

Like the others, the scene and those present dissolved, leaving only a single piece of a shard behind. When presented with this piece, the doll popped it right into place by the throat. It came as a comforting thought that even if they were somehow cut short, Casca might at least have her full speech ability back.

Walking along, they came to a scene that was a bit bizarre to look at by first glance. Casca seemed to be lying down for this one, her attention focused up and the sound of a waterfall behind her. Guts was present as well as he formed many others. He was without a shirt or armor here and was in close proximity to Casca.

Wait. Was this…

"Huh? What are you doing?" Schierke asked as Harry put a hand in front of her eyes, covering them. He averted his gaze as well.

"Just trust me." This had been right before they had rescued Griffith from the Tower of Rebirth. The night Guts and Casca had… shared together. It was an intimate moment and clearly one that was special to Casca and it would just feel like a massive violation of her privacy – more than what they had seen already. Farnese seemed to have picked up on the notion as well, but unlike Harry, she snuck a few glances in before quickly become flustered and ashamed of herself and looking away.

The piece they gained fit the mold of a large piece near the center of the chest, right next to the heart. But there was something else left behind as well.

There, lying where the two of them had been previous, was an ebony metal helm in the shape of a snarling wolf's head with red blazing eyes. The helmet to the Berserker Armor.

"Careful!" Harry advised before either of them could touch it. Using the end of his staff, Harry flipped it over, checking to see if there was a hidden piece lying under it. There wasn't.

"What is it doing here?" Schierke asked. "We were able to bring our items with us because we had them when we entered. The only person who could have this is Guts."

"You're right, but I don't think Guts is here." Harry partially agreed. "He wouldn't have just come to join us and risk disrupting the process even if we were taking long." To them, it felt like it had been a few days of traversing the memories when only a few hours had probably passed in real-time.

"Well we shouldn't just leave it here," Farnese opened her pouch to see if the helm would fit. "If we can use the things that we have, then as dangerous as it is, it might be of use."

Looking ahead, Harry saw that the barren landscape was becoming a twisted forest, and beyond that… a black sun surrounded by dark clouds of swirling madness.

Unlike the previous night, the new morning brought about light clouds with sunlight poking through every few minutes. And unlike previous mornings since setting sail, Guts woke up feeling refurbished. The mermaid salve had actually worked wonders on the multiple cuts he had acquired. He barely felt a thing.

Isidro was still passed out on one of the beds, he had actually fallen asleep while boasting that he was going to stay awake the whole night. Serpico had actually woken up before him for a change and was standing at quite an attention near the curtain drawn bed. Seeing Guts wake from his short bout of sleep, the blonde attendant gave a small nod of acknowledgment.

"So where's the wizard?" Guts asked, rising from the bed and making sure Dragonslayer was still next to the bed where he had put it.

"Sleeping on another bed," Madam Pomfrey came by, opening a window and letting some fresh air in. "I've never seen Sirius Black so tired. He must have been up for days on end researching all of this. I had to give him some of the sleeping potions as well."

However Guts might feel about this whole situation and being pulled off course, by Black's doing no less, he was at least thankful that they were able to find a substitute. If he would actually say his thanks to Black all depended on how this turned out. They had been in the pensieve for close to seven hours now, leaving them a good four to five hours left. Madam Pomfrey had assured him that if she sensed Casca starting to stir, she would give her another dosage of the potion, just enough to keep her asleep for a few more hours.

If everything went okay, then they should be out by that time. But that was probably much too optimistic of him to think that.

"Let me just check on her status real quick. I thought of something else last night." Madam Pomfrey parted the curtains and went to check the sleeping Casca.

"Hey," Guts said to Serpico. "Where'd the bugs go?"

"I asked them if they were up to a task."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Just a hunch I had since last night. If those two twins were able to know Harry was here because of that map, then it is likely that some others know as well."

"Don't remind me." The last thing they needed was interruptions or distractions.

Serpico nodded. "For that purpose, I thought best to ask for their favor in being lookouts."

"Ah. So if they spot anyone coming, one buzzes back here and lets us know. Got it."

It could work. Ivalera would be there to keep Puck in line so he wouldn't get distracted by anything, and even Guts would admit that Puck was a fast flier when he needed to be.

It didn't take long, just a few minutes or so when Puck buzzed in through the open window. "Alright, Puck reporting in."

"Spit it out, bug," Guts didn't want to play games with the blue elf.

"Fine." He pouted. "There are about three kids heading this way. Pretty young too. They seem to be arguing about something."

Looking over, Guts saw Madam Pomfrey was still behind the closed curtain, checking on their status.

"Alright. Wait here."

Guts waited by the door to the hospital wing, listening for the sound of approaching footsteps or of the high-pitch that all kids had in their voices. And he did.

"-gging along with us. Aren't all snakes suppose to hate Gryffindors?" it sounded like a boy.

"Who said that?" a girl. "My sister, Daphne's friend is acquaintances with a Gryffindor, you know. And you were talking so loudly at breakfast about what you heard from the twins that I have to see for myself."

"Do you think he'll let us take a picture, Colin?" a younger boy.

"I hope he does. I've figured out how to get the pictures to move and everything."

"What?" the girl. "You'll freak him out if you do that. Maybe my housemates were right, Gryffindors lack tact."

"But he's Harry Potter! There are all sorts of stories about him and all the heroic things he's done. He's bound to be a nice guy."

Guts stepped out, having heard enough. The chatter that had been going on stopped almost immediately. The three kids all looked up at the man that stood before them. The two boys looked to share some similarities, probably brothers. They had black robes with red and gold trimmings. The girl had brown hair but got lighter the closer it got to her head. Her robes were of a green and silver trim.

One of the boys, the older of the two held some square, black device with a clear glass bulb stationed in some obtrusion from the box. Probably some kind of magical item. He stared the three of them down, his sole eye narrowed and he made sure the end of Dragonslayer was showing past his cloak.

"Leave."

They moved as fast as their feet could carry them. Guts rolled his eye, entering back in the hospital wing and closing the door behind him. He was soon met with the disapproving stare of Madam Pomfrey.

"It's under control," Guts said, brushing past her.

"I could have handled it myself."

"I'm sure you could've." Guts sat back on the bed. "You were also busy."

"There is a method to handling every situation," she chastised him. "Scaring students is not the way to go about it."

"Why do they go to school? To learn? If they learned not to be brats, I don't see a problem with it."

"Apt choice of words," Serpico remarked. "But not untrue."

The witch left for her office to calm herself down before coming back in, this time with some other small handheld tool. "Come, let me see your hand."

"What are you going on about this time?" Guts asked with mild annoyance.

"Not your real hand, your prosthetic," she specified.

"What about it?"

"I treated a colleague, Alastor Moody for a prosthetic leg once. Your design seems to be similar. Can you move your fingers and thumb?"

Guts looked to his own arm, the hidden cannon had come in handy many of times. "The hand can clamp around the hilt of my sword, that's all I need."

He could almost see her frustration building. "So stubborn… I mean, don't you wish you could move the fingers of your hand as you would your other?"

"And you're saying you can do that? I thought you were a healer, not a crafter."

"Not many magicals have prosthetics, but for those who do are offered quality for their loss. Bones can be re-grown and flesh patched up, but there are no bones to re-grow in your case, not to mention all the muscle, veins, and nerves that would have to mended with it. The best I could do is at least give you more mobility with it."

"And you can do that with… whatever the hell that is?" he looked at what looked like an etching tool mixed with a quill.

"This is filled with hydra extract," she explained. "In a hydra's case, if one head is cut off, two more will take its place. A property about their body keeps them alive and moving even if all heads are cut. Your head is very much attached to your body."

"And you're going to draw on my arm?" this sounded ridiculous.

"Unless you would rather do it yourself as you did the salve," she offered. "But I imagine it will be quite difficult with only one hand."

The salve had helped, he couldn't deny that. And in this case, she wouldn't be touching his flesh, just the metal that made up the arm Godo had crafted. "How long will it take?"

"A few minutes. I just have to etch the symbols on each appendage."

Guts gave her a look of warning before holding out his arm for her to inspect. "Keep your filthy hands where I can see them."

She tutted as she began to draw the symbols. "You are worse than a child, I swear, in all my years…" she began to mumble under her breath as she continued on with her work.

"Huuh?" Isidro began to wake from his sleep. "Did I stay awake the whole night?"

"Close," Serpico told him. "Morning came later than expected."

Isidro plopped back down. "I knew it."

Once she finished up drawing the etches on the prosthetic, they emitted a dull grey glow which she assured him was just a way of showing that the magic was taking effect and that he should give it some time before he tried any activity with it. She made sure that point was reinforced as Puck flew back into the room via window several times to inform them of some unscheduled visitors.

As Madam Pomfrey expected, they were mainly younger students who were faking injuries or making up excuses about fake sickness to try and get into the hospital ward. She turned them all away. Some walked away in shame and remorse, others in scowls and damaged pride. She made sure that Guts was still sitting in the bed assigned to him every time she had to open the door to shoo the students away. It was probably for the best if it stayed that way.

There was still about three hours left until the potion wore off and the sense of anxiety grew with each passing second. How were they faring inside of Casca's mind, just what were they seeing? How much was left to go before the time was up? with some outside light pouring in, Guts was able to see the silhouetted figures of those gathered around behind the white curtains. They stood perfectly still, undisturbed by anything happening outside of their space. And it was going to stay that way.

There was another knock at the hospital wing doors. "You would think they would have learned by now. Just one moment." Madam Pomfrey left to go assess the situation again.

Once she had left, Serpico spoke up. "You're getting anxious."

"I guess." He shrugged. "After all that we went through, this goal always seemed to keep itself at a distance. I was just a moth chasing after the setting sun. Now…" he glanced at the curtain drawn bed.

"Now the sun seems like it is rising in your direction," Serpico finished.

"I hate poems," Isidro groaned. His excitement of being off the ship seemed to be failing.

"You could say it like that," Guts shrugged again.

Serpico smiled softly. "I am happy for you. There was a time where I was hesitant about this whole journey – I still am in some regard – but, Lady Farnese trusts you with her life, and you trust Farnese with Casca's sanity. It does seem a cycle from a certain point of view."

"Hm." Guts would have just left it at a comfortable silence after that, but the voices from the outside of the hospital wing doors were quickly growing louder and more heated.

"I am warning you, stand aside!" this voice was high pitched and full of false sweetness mixed with a hint of superiority. He couldn't see who it was, but it put him on edge.

"And I am telling you," Madam Pomfrey's voice was sounding equally agitated, "any business will be had in my office. And you are in no direct need of medical attention. So if you would please, turn around and leave for the time being."

"I heard that Harry Potter was here," the sickly sweet voice quickly said. "And as High Inquisitor and Honorary Triwizard Judge, I have every right to enter. Now stand aside."

"What's going on out there?" Isidro asked, sitting up in his bed. The still sleeping Black was still under the effects of the potion as well and continued to sleep through the shouting that was going on outside.

"Enough of this. Dawlish! Open the doors."

"No, you cannot-," Madam Pomfrey was cut off as the doors were forced open.

Walking in was… a toad?

No, it was a woman. A woman that looked like a toad. She was dressed all in pink and her wand which was short and stubby like her was cradled in her small, nubby fingers.

The two men following her, one was a bit lanky and had dull eyes about him. The second was darker skinned and seemed to try and offer the medical witch some words of apology as they walked past. Madam Pomfrey picked up her pace and walked in front of the woman leading them.

"Madam Umbridge, you may be High Inquisitor, but nothing gives you the right to intrude on private matters!"

The toad woman let out a girlish chuckle that made the hair on the back of Guts' neck stand up. "I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid it does." She spoke with a voice full of condescending superiority. "That is what it means to be hehe," she giggled again, "inquisitorial."

Guts had no idea who this woman was; all he knew was that the instantly hated her. Not even that Snape man with all his snide comments hadn't managed to irritate him this quickly.

"Now, if you will be so kind as to present us with Harry Potter, you can go back to your duties as Hogwarts Healer. If not," she smiled wide, like a toad about to nab at a fly, "you will find yourself on probation followed up with suspension."

"Madam Umbridge," the darker man began. "Perhaps it is best if we returned at a later moment."

"Quiet yourself, Shackelbolt. Your skills are needed, not your opinion." She spotted the curtain. "Is he behind there?" she raised her wand, ready to magically draw back to curtain.

'Yield to me.'

Guts stepped in front of the short, plump witch. His blood near boiling at this point. Just staring at her is weird.

She made a face like a child whose toy had just been taken away. "Excuse me! Who in Merlin's name do you think you are?!"

"Guts."

'Squish her. Crush her underfoot. You know what she intends to do.'

"Whatever is the meaning of this?" Umbridge demanded. "Stand aside now. Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Not really. But if I have to guess, I'll say a toad with human legs."

The witch's whole head turned red. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner! I am Senior Undersecretary Dolores Jane Umbridge, Hogwarts High Inquisitor and Honorary Judge in the Triwizard Tournament!"

Madam Pomfrey stepped between the two. "Madam Umbridge, you really must leave."

'Kill her now.'

"You heard her, go back to the swamp."

The Umbridge woman was starting to flair her nostrils. "I was told this ward was closed to all with serious medical injuries. Tell me, Madam Pomfrey, who are these people, and why do they warrant access when you attempted to deny it to all others previous?"

"I am in the middle of treating them for injuries," the medical witch heatedly explained. "I will continue on as planned once you kindly leave and return at a later time."

"And as I've seen fit to explain to you, I have permission from Minister Fudge to personally meet with Harry Potter." Umbridge flashed a sheet of paper. "Now if you will kindly stand aside." She raised her stubby wand once again, trying to aim it at the curtain once again.

"Madam Umbridge!"

'Kill her now. Kill her now, Let me out and kill her now. You want to, I can feel it. Let me out. Make her regret. Show them. Let me out. Let me out!'

"Fuck this."

Guts' hand curled around Umbridge's wrist – his prosthetic hand. The metal creaked as he began to apply pressure.

"What are you doing?!" she shrieked. "Let me go this instant, you barbarian!" Kri-snapp! "Ahhh! Dawlish! Shackelbolt! Take hi-!" Wrammm!

Guts' real fist was clenched so hard that his knuckles were turning bone white and his nails were digging into his palm, drawing a fresh wound. But the resulting punch he delivered to the toadish woman's face drew a much greater amount of blood as he broke her nose. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

He dared not draw Dragonslayer, he knew that it would be impossible for him to control the Beast of Darkness if he were to do that, and it was taking every ounce of willpower right now to keep that from happening. With Schierke out of commission, for now, there would be no one to pull him out if he went Berserk. And with Casca right there, he would end up killing her.

Guts tossed the unconscious Umbridge to the ground, his temper not having cooled down.

The first of her bodyguards – Dawlish, raised his wand to attack. "Incarcerous!"

Some ropes shot out from his wand, looking to ensnare Guts, but a sudden gust of wind sent them flinging off course. Serpico stood to the side, his eyes almost fully open and staring at the escort with a penetrating gaze.

Before he could fire off a spell at Serpico this time, Isidro had used his small size to his advantage and used his Salamander Dagger to set fire to his robes from behind.

The darker wizard took notice. "Agumenti!" a stream of water doused the flames, but the man quickly put his wand away and raised his hands in surrender.

"What are you doing, Kingsley?!" Dawlish demanded, not ready to give up.

"Umbridge is out, Dawlish. She needs medical attention. She won't be getting it here." Kingsley's attention was focused on Guts. "Let us move her now. Put your wand away."

Guts' knuckles were still bone white even as the two wizards dragged their boss away, an unconscious and bloody mess. His sole eye tracked their every move until they were out the door and gone before he rounded and punched his fist into the wall. His metal fingers were flexing, clenching and extending back.

"Guts…" Serpico approached him.

He brushed past him and sat back down on the bed, ignoring the stares sent his way. When he did speak, he did it through clenched teeth; his rage had yet to recede.

"Thanks for the hand," he flexed the fingers toward Madam Pomfrey.

Harry knew that they were bound to run into trouble the deeper they got in Casca's mind. It would have been far too easy if they were just able to collect and gather all the pieces left to fix the porcelain doll inside that casket. The deeper they traveled, the more dangers that they encountered along the way.

Monsters, manifestations of trauma finally began to appear. They were just bugs at first, oddly designed bugs that made Harry wonder just how Casca had been perceiving the world as her reduced state. They had only been seeing things from the true Casca's perspective, not the one that had been born from the Eclipse.

The hound had been a help in ripping them to shreds with his fangs and claws, but they couldn't afford to waste their time just battling these monsters. With the items allotted to them, Harry and Schierke both summoned some golems to impede the bugs from chasing after them.

Then came the thorns. They were growing along the forest path that they were traveling, lining the way and ensuring that a very painful end would await them if they were to stray from the path.

It would have been simple if the thorns hadn't begun to intertwine and block the path in front of them. But with Schierke and Farnese performing a fire spell, the thorns were reduced to black, withered crisps.

The hound was starting to become persistent now, barking at them to hurry and follow after him. and it was no secret as to why, the manifestation of trauma was growing stronger and there was but one piece left to go, the hole where her heart would be.

The black sun was much larger now than it had been before. The swirling clouds were like a funnel ready to become a twister and touch down at any second. Maybe that would have been the preferable option.

"We're almost there!" Harry shouted as they ran, exiting the woods and exiting to a ground that was made entirely of human faces. Red, twisted, agonizing faces that were captured in moments of eternal agony.

"GEHAHHH!" demonic cackling was heard and the demons themselves followed not far after. They sprouted from the ground like sickly flowers, jumped out of the mouths of the face covered ground. Harry was horrified to see that he recognized some of the shapes that these monsters were based on. The Eclipse. Everything had been leading right to this moment, the moment where everything had changed for the worst.

Harry pulled out a few more golem talisman and tossed them at the approaching demon horde. It did little to help. The golems made a defensive line, banding arm-in-arm and making a push against the monsters gathering of horns, claws, and teeth. For their effort, the golems were holding out as long as they could, even forming together to make a larger version of themselves to simply crush the heads of some of the smaller, crawling demons.

"Up above!" Schierke called, gaining his attention.

"Oh no…"

The clouds that had been billowing around the black sun had taken form. A giant, monstrous being that swooped down, black wings spread out, covering the ground with darkness when it passed. Two sets of razor-sharp talons extended out and the rounded, but still equally sharp beak snapped at them and the casket both. The hawk of darkness had taken flight.

"We have to get that piece now!" Harry yelled as the hawk came back again for another attack. Concentrating his feeling and power, Harry fired a ball of white flame straight up at the approaching bird.

The white eyes of the hawk narrowed as it used its wings to create a mighty gust of air and burst the attack into shreds of falling embers. And still, it descended.

With a screech like a bat out of hell, the hawk snatched the casket with its talons, taking it, and the hound up in the air.

"No!" Schierke yelled. "If the doll inside breaks…" she didn't even want to finish that sentence.

Sensing its victory, the hawk let go of the casket and shook the hound free from where it had sunk its teeth into its leg.

Down and down they fell, coming closer to the ground.

"We need to levitate them!" Harry said to Schierke. He focused his spell on the hound, and Schierke did hers on the casket. Before either could hit the ground, the force of momentum carrying them seemed to vanish. The hound was limping something fierce, but the casket had remained undamaged, the doll inside was still almost complete.

Pieces of broken rock went flying as the demonic horde broke past the last line defense of the golems and were about to be on them in mere seconds.

"Farnese, what are you doing?" Harry asked as she pulled out the Berserker helm from her pouch and approached the wounded hound.

"He is Casca's protector." She hesitated before putting it on the hound's head. "This… this is what he does, what he will continue to do." She placed the ebony helm on the hounds head. The hound rose to its legs, looking sturdier than before.

Metal plates began erupting from the helm, spreading until they became plates that worked to form the manifestation of the armor. The eyes glowed red with anger as the hound shot off with unnatural speed toward the advancing horde of demons.

It was scary how accurate the hound fought like its human counterpart. The maw of the helm snapped down upon a demon's neck, ripping it straight off of the body and spitting it aside like a cherry pit. Its claws and paws raked across demons' eyes, blinding them biting and ripping their throats out. Specks of red flew into the air as the demons lost limb and life as they swarmed in on the now Berserker hound.

Spotting this new development, the hawk made an evasive maneuver and went to dive-bomb the enraged hound, seeking to end it once and for all.

Seeing the giant black bird swooping down on him, the hound ran up the back of an incapacitated demon and made a mad leap at the approaching hawk. Much to their shock, the hawk managed to catch the hound in mid-air and with its talons, it began to squeeze, squishing the hound even with the equipped armor.

The maw of the armor opened fully and a familiar sight if the cannon became visible.

KABOOM!

The hawk screeched in pain as it dropped the hound, getting ready to make another pass at them again.

Thankful for the distraction, the three of them made it to the epicenter of everything. And inside was a shape Harry had only seen the one time. It looked to be an incomplete fetus, one single brown eye and a gaping mouth with no limbs. It looked at all of them before its shape changed to that of a human heart, a heart wrapped in black thorns.

"We have to get these thorns off," Schierke insisted, tossing a few of her golem talisman to keep the demons from approaching. They would further aid in helping the Berserker hound in his fight, or rather, his slaughter. Limbs were still being torn and tossed.

"Careful, hold it still," Harry said. With his staff, he muttered a simple incineration spell, the flames dancing at the end. "I'm going to try to burn them away, just move it when I say, I don't want to burn the heart."

The black thorns seemed to hiss as the flames touched them. They were burning, but not as fast as they had back in the forest.

"Teacher, it's almost done!" only one vine of thorns remained the ones that were lightly poking at the heart itself. Those were the ones that Harry had to be the most delicate with.

He poked at the thorns again, the flames lightly licking the twisted black roots. "Almost… almost…"

"SCRREEEEEEE!" the hawk noticed this latest development and was diving right down toward them now.

"AROOOO!" the hound howled as he bit his way through some more demons, making a beeline toward the rapidly approaching hawk. But with a mighty smack of his wing, the hawk sent the hound flying back into the demon horde, talons extended, ready to snatch the casket once and for all.

There wasn't time. There wasn't time to finish burning away the thorns. Schierke had taken to firing off spells, but not a single one was impeding the hawk. Those piercing eyes and curved beak were getting closer.

"What are you doing?" Farnese asked as Harry threw open the lid of the casket and placed the heart in its place.

"Please…"

"SCREEEEEEEE!"

The claws were right there.

And it was like a silent wind had passed. The demons, the hawk, even the hound had all faded. All that remained were the three mages, the tiny doll, and the now complete porcelain doll of Casca. The tiny one jumped inside the casket and opened the little door beneath the brand. It looked at all of them as though… as though it was the last time it would see any of them.

The black then all faded to white.

"Ah!" Guts heard the gasp come from the one place he had been anticipating. The anger and rage he had felt earlier with that toad woman had faded now, replaced by sheer anticipation and nervousness.

Madam Pomfrey magically drew the curtain back to reveal Harry, Schierke, and Farnese standing upright and blinking like they had just experienced a blinding light. Casca was still on the bed, her mouth was slightly trembling and her eyes were blinking like she was trying to clear her vision.

"Give them some space!" Madam Pomfrey ordered as she hurried over to all of them. "You'll be needing to rest for a moment. Was the-?"

"What happened?" Guts suddenly asked, cutting the witch off. "What happened with Casca?"

The mages seemed to be trying to figure out who was going to say it and how.

"…Casca." Guts felt a jolt at the sound of the voice. "That's me."

A/N: After Thirty chapters, Casca is back, next will be a much needed reunion. I hope you all had a good Memorial Day and thank you for reading.